Family Values for Life

Family Values for Life began in 1999 as Youth Values for Life, a single-site program focused on helping youth make positive lifestyle choices. Youth Values for Life incorporated as a 501c3 in 2004, secured a five-year state grant and several local foundation grants, and expanded to additional churches and organizations throughout Hennepin and Ramsey Counties. Through our early work, we identified that chronic economic uncertainty and emotional instability in crisis-ridden families impede youth ability to make long-term positive changes in their lives. In other words, we saw that effectively helping youth must involve the whole family using a community approach. In 2010, leadership renamed the organization to reflect practices and programming that focus on serving the entire family.

Current PROGRAMS include:

--Jump Start to the New You - helps single moms build skills and knowledge, access resources to make positive changes, and become self-sufficient and engaged parents and community members through  30-35 weekly workshops at three sites. 

--Bridges out of Poverty - 8-week summer financial literacy course, in cooperation with Community Action Partnership. 

--U-Turn 180 Youth Program - family meals, homework help, recreation, and creative arts workshops weekly during the school year. 

--Reading Program - before/after school and NEW summer reading support for students behind grade level in reading. 

--U-Turn Summer Programs - talent and art camp, sports camps, meals, recreation. With community partners.

--Back to School - annual event provides 3,000 backpacks with school supplies and connects families to community resources and Saint Paul schools.

--Beauty for Ashes - grief and trauma counseling and support for 20-30 women per year.

These programs primarily serve low-income, single-parent families primarily from Saint Paul’s East Side. 90% of Family Values for Life program participants are people of color, primarily African American. 70-80% are low-income.

Four PILLARS form the foundation of Family Values for Life’s approach to family engagement:

1.      Physical Fitness:  Integrating activity that develops health and wellbeing. Educating participants in nutrition, exercise, hygiene, and rest.

2.      Spiritual Empowerment:  Improving self-confidence, self-awareness and self-esteem. Providing tools to break free from negative thought patterns and habits in order to build accountability and personal growth. 

3.      Mental Alertness:  Enhancing the ability to make better decisions. Improving mental state that enhances participants’ outlook on life. 

4.      Financial Stability:  Providing resources that support a standard of living that will encourage self-sufficiency. 

Our vision for family engagement is to focus on these pillars to build holistic wellness of heads of household, and in so doing empower parents to bring their voices into schools and community settings to advance academic and health equity for our children.